Sunacom - Odell: "… would it be more prudent to rol l the 2013 surplus into the next biennium…" ?

In his May 5, 2013 column on Sunacom.com (http://sunacom.com/columnists/odell/odell_05-05-13.html#.UYaPbutolFI), Senator Odell writes...

'Taking out one-time transactions, the state still took in $278 million from our [March and April] regular revenue sources or $21 million above budget plan.'

'...with business taxes up 6.7 percent over our revenue plan, this could be an indicator that the New Hampshire economy is turning the corner and doing better.'

'...the Governor on Thursday was quick to want to take some of the surplus now predicted for this fiscal year and rebuild our 'rainy day' fund.' '...would it be more prudent to roll the 2013 surplus into the next biennium to make sure, as much as possible, we meet the needs of the people of New Hampshire without new or increased taxes and fees[?]'

 Sunacom.com is the only non-commercial, community service, online source for local town reporting, news and information for the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire... since July, 2008.

Senator Odell Statement on April Revenues

The New Hampshire Senate

Republican Majority Office

Concord, NH - Senate Ways and Means Chairman Bob Odell (R-Lempster), issued the following statement today on the release of April’s state revenue figures:

“I am pleased that April’s revenue report shows the state is slightly above plan for the fiscal year and the current biennium, meaning we are collecting just enough tax revenue to fund government operations and no more – as the case should be.  Additionally, today’s report confirms the legislature’s process for estimating the state’s income works and that it need not be tinkered with for political expediency.  April revenues are a positive sign for our economy, but we need to remain vigilant because one strong month is not a trend.

“As Senate Ways and Means moves forward with estimating revenues for the next two years, we will continue our conversations with the departments and agencies that know the state’s revenues best and will estimate using the same open, conservative, and realistic principles that produced our current budget estimates.  Those numbers will be very instructive regarding how much the state has to spend in the next two years, not the other way around as has been the case in earlier versions of this budget and in years past.”

Sunacom - Sen. Odell's comments on gambling and SB168

In his Feb. 24, 2013 column on Sunacom.com, Senator Odell writes:

'...Governor Maggie Hassan has put $80 million into her two year budget proposal from a one-time license fee.' '...this is the first time a governor has put money into his or her budget from a casino license fee.' '...the revenue should not have been included in the Governor's budget given the House's history of killing gaming bills.'

'If a casino bill does not pass with a sitting governor personally pushing it and with the same party as the governor controlling the House, I think the casino form of expanded gambling will be off the table for a decade.'

'New Hampshire entered into agreements for tens of millions of dollars of funding for environmental infrastructure projects including drinking water, wastewater and landfill projects.' 'In addition to Newbury, other area municipalities impacted include Claremont, Newport, Unity, Marlow and Hillsborough.' '...in the fall of 2008 the governor decided to 'delay and defer' the state's payments.' 'When the state does not pay its share, the state and local costs fall on the community...'
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  Sunacom.com is the only non-commercial, community service, online source for local town reporting, news and information for the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire... since July, 2008.

Sunacom - Sen. Odell interview

In the current Sunacom.com, Senator Odell writes:

'New Hampshire fortunately has a requirement that our biennial budget must be balanced.' '...if all goes well, we will have a compromise budget that can be accepted by the House and Senate.'

'[Governor Hassan] has not said where she stands on an increase in the gas tax to fund construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.'

'Most pundits think the Governor will favor the licensing of one casino.' 'The House under Democrat and Republican leadership has always turned down bills to create casinos.'

'The economy is anemic and will not produce large increases in funds from current revenue streams.' 

'Without doing anything, the increased revenue from growth, $90 million, is halved or more by acts of the previous legislature.'

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  Sunacom.com is the only non-commercial, community service, online source for local town reporting, news and information for the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire... since July, 2008.

Statements by Senators Odell and Morse on Gov. Hassan's Revenue Estimating Panel

The New Hampshire Senate

Majority Office

Concord, NH – Senate Ways and Means Chairman Bob Odell, R-Lempster, and Finance Chairman Chuck Morse, R-Salem, released the following statements today following Gov. Hassan’s executive order establishing a revenue estimating panel:

Senator Odell stated:

“When developing our revenue estimates, the Senate Ways and Means Committee takes testimony from numerous department heads, economists, and business leaders.  This open and information driven process has led the committee to adopt numbers for the current budget that are off by less than two percent.  In the months ahead, the committee looks forward to considering the recommendations of Gov. Hassan’s revenue panel as another part of our process as we work to develop balanced estimates consistent with a cautious economic outlook.”

Senator Morse stated:

“When building the current budget, the Senate Finance Committee relied heavily on the work done by Sen. Odell and the Ways and Means Committee.  The slight surplus in the first year of the budget and the near perfect estimates to-date in the second year are due in significant part to their good work.  The governor is right in noting the need for a ‘systematic and consistent method of forecasting state revenues.’  Thankfully, the Senate has experienced, pragmatic and thoughtful leaders like Bob Odell guiding our work in this area.  I plan to rely on the estimates developed by his committee.”